Where'd You Go?
by Moonstar-75
Summary: It's been a long time. JeffTrish


Title: Where'd You Go

Author: Given2Fly

Rating: We'll go with R just to be safe.

Characters: Jeff Hardy and Trish Stratus.

Description: Jeff returns to the WWE.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to themselves respectively and Vince McMahon, along with WWE. This is a work of FICTION. No factual statements are made in this story and anything that resembles a rumor that may have been tossed about at one point is purely coincidental. The song, "Where'd You Go?" belongs to Fort Minor.

Distribution: Cristal, Carolyn, Tink. All other's please ask first.

Dedication: For Candy and her love of the pairing.

Single/Chapter Fic: Single

He was coming back.

Trish Stratus dropped heavily onto the bench in the Diva's locker room as she read over the matches scheduled for that evening. There it was, in black and white : Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Conway. Quickly, as though a fast forward button had been pressed in her head, the memories of their time together before he left the company ran vividly through her mind. The match where he'd saved her from Steven Richards and Victoria...their first kiss...their mixed tag match with Steven and Victoria...helping him put on the body paint that had become part of his character after the Hardyz split. She closed her eyes and could almost feel the smooth taut muscles of his body under her fingertips once more.

"Trish? Everything okay?" The pretty blonde diva's eyes jerked open at the sound of Lilian Garcia's voice. The petite ring announcer stood in the doorway, her hand on the doorknob, concern etched on her pretty face. "You look kind of pale." Trish forced a smile to her lips, swallowing over the lump that had suddenly risen in her throat.

"I'm fine, Lil. Just going over tonight's matches." Lilian's skeptical look showed she didn't believe a word of it, but she simply nodded. "I came to tell you that you've got a package in Vince's office. I think it's that ring attire you had ordered from New York."

Trish quickly folded the piece of paper, slipping it into her gym bag. "Thanks. I'll head over there in a few minutes." She watched the blonde haired woman leave and dropped her head into her hands as soon as the door closed behind her.

Jeff was back. And he hadn't made any effort to contact her. He'd probably forgotten all about her...while her emotions ran wild. The song she'd played over and over since his release suddenly came to mind, the words repeating themselves in her head.

_Where'd you go?_

_I miss you so_

_Seems like it's been forever_

_That you've been gone_

She swallowed back the tears, not willing to shed anymore over him. She blinked furiously and stood, crossing over to the vanity to check her make up. Sniffling, she took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She could do this. If she hadn't seen him yet and he'd made no attempt to contact her, then the probabilty of her seeing him backstage was slim to none.

She left the locker room, heading in the direction of Vince's office. She ignored the pitying looks she got from the other superstars as she walked down the hall. Apparently everyone had seen tonight's card. And it was certainly no secret that hers and Jeff's relationship had ended as abruptly as it had began. There were a few of her closer friends that knew she'd continued carrying a torch for the young North Carolinian. The rest just speculated.

She reached Vince's office and knocked quietly, loathe to interrupt the boss if he was busy with something...or some_one_ as the case may be. "Come in" came the muffled reply from within. She gently opened the door, making her way into the roomy office.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. McMahon, but I was told I have a package here, " Trish said to the back of the large leather chair that sat behind the enormous mahogeny desk.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that."

The soft southern accent stopped her in her tracks, the tears she'd fought so hard against earlier making their way back up her throat. The chair slowly swiveled around to reveal an unsmiling Jeff Hardy. Her eyes drank him in, from the currently dark brown hair down to his trademark arm paint and white wifebeater.

"Hey."

Fighting to regain her composure, Trish's chin lifted a notch. "Hello Jeff," said cooly. Jeff rose from the chair, walking slowly around the desk, stopping inches from the blonde diva. He reached out as if to touch her, letting his hand drop as he read the sadness in her glimmering brown eyes.

"I've missed you."

Trying to mask the pain that was threatening to split her in two, Trish gave a very unladylike snort. "Well, that was obvious. I couldn't go one day without a phone call from you, " she said, Jeff wincing at the sarcasm in her voice. As if he were unsure what to do with them, he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down, for the first time breaking the hold between their eyes.

"Okay, I deserved that." He looked up and Trish was surprised to see teary green eyes staring back at her. "Do you know why I left the company, Trish?" The abrupt change of conversation, startled the blonde into shaking her head. With a deep breath, Jeff explained.

"I was fired because I failed a drug test." Trish wore a look of shock on her pretty face as Jeff continued. "At first it started out as painkillers that the trainers and doctors would give me. Taking bumps off a 20 ft. ladder every other pay-per-view was killing my back." He turned, walking over to Vince's desk, staring blankly at a document there as he continued his story."Then it got to where they just weren't helping with the pain anymore. So I started experimenting with street drugs." He turned around once more, coming back to the present. "I was lucky enough that I was chosen for one of the random drug tests they'd started doing."

He reached out, still not meeting her eyes, to fiddle with the pencil holder on the boss' desk. "And from there it's all pretty self explanitory. I was fired on the spot and took the first plane out of Wisconsin to North Carolina." Finally his gaze met her's, green clashing with brown. "I didn't call or write, or come see you because...well, I didn't want you to see me the way I was then. When I was fired I went even further into the black hole of street drugs and for a while I was a mess." He laughed, the sound holding no humor, only bitterness. "I don't even remember three months of my life because I was so messed up."

Trish started towards the man she had thought about every day for the last five years, wanting to touch him, hold him...let him know that she would help him through it all. Jeff held up both hands, stopping her where she stood. "Jeff--"

"No." He shook his head, moving once again to stand behind the enormous desk, putting space between them. "No, let me finish Trish. Please." He waited for her nod to continue.

"I decided that it was time I took time for ME. The constant traveling, the signings, the shows, the comings and the goings...it had all been getting to me anyway. Every time I would go home, I wouldn't want to leave. So I severed all ties, aside from Matt, with the WWE." He searched her face intently. "Trish...I needed to find the man I wanted to be in order to be the man that you deserve."

A small sob escaped her before she could stop it. Yes, she understood what Jeff was saying. And it hurt her, knowing that he had suffered as much, if not more than herself. She took a deep breath after a moment, making sure that Jeff was finished.

"I understand what you're saying, Jeff," She said, her voice cracking slightly under the weight of the lump in her throat. "And I'm sorry you went through all that." She stepped forward, for some reason needing to be nearer to him. "But the fact remains that you let me think, for the last five years, that you wanted no part of me. Not one letter. Not one phone call. Nothing. You could have come to me, Jeff. You could have let me help you through your problem." She sniffled, the tears now running unchecked down her slightly flushed cheeks. "But you didn't. You didn't trust me enough, didn't trust US enough, to know that I would stay by your side no matter what it took."

"Trish, I--" She raised her hand this time, silencing him.

"No, you''ve had your say, Jeff let me have mine." She started walking around the room, gingerly touching things as she went, as though to keep herself grounded towards what she was saying. "Everyday. Every day I would wonder what I had done wrong...what I had said or not said that made you leave. What was wrong with me. And finally, after the sadness and the anger and the hurt had left, I realized that what we had must not have meant as much to you as it did to me."

Swallowing hard, Jeff pushed himself off the desk he'd been leaning on. "Trish. If you believe nothing else I've said to you tonight, believe this: you were --ARE-- my entire world." Stopping just shy of the blonde once more, this time, he reached out, taking her small hand in his. "And if you'll let me...if you're feelings haven't been changed by all that's gotten between us... I will gladly spend the next 50 years or so telling you."

Trish glanced down at their clasped hands and gave his a little squeeze. "I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't still love you, Jeff. I fell in love with you the minute we met. Nothing will ever change that." She looked deeply into eyes like a spring meadow. "But it will take a while for me to learn to trust you again. It's not going to come easy. And there will be times when, more than likely, we'll fight and argue." Slipping her hands from his, she stepped back. "But if you're willing to give it --give US-- another try, then I'm ready."

The movement was so fast, Trish barely had time to register it before she felt the soft, cool press of his lips against hers. His taste was the same, making her instantly want more, but also wanting to take it slow. Almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over, Jeff holding her lightly in his arms.

"I've got all the time in the world."

_Where'd you go?_

_I miss you so_

_Seems like it's been forever_

_That you've been gone._

_Please come back home._

A/N: My first ever attempt at writing one of the "dreadful" Jeff/Trish fics. P Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.


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